And I Did It My Way

My blogging buddy Vicki, who is formerly of Ann Arbor here, had a shopping challenge on her blog recently: see what $20 can buy you at the local grocery store or farmer's market. Vicki and her other blogging buddies have long since shopped and gone. But better late than never--the shopping mantra of men in America--I thought I would give it a try.

Pictured above is my haul. I visited Plum Market, a local chain of large shopping venues that specializes in fresh organically grown produce and unique specialty foods. Not cheap and we don't normally shop there. Anytime your local grocer uses paper bags with double twine carrying handles you know you're not paying bargain prices. That's part of the challenge though. Right?

But I did have an advantage in that I had a $5 coupon, good if you spent $25 or more. So I really got $25 worth of groceries, but only spent $20. Bend the rules but don't break them I always say.

I felt my haul was successful on a number of levels here. Check it out. First, I have all the major food groups covered: meats, fruits, vegetables, grains and dairy. Peanut butter qualifies for dairy, doesn't it? My wife Wendy asked, "Where the vegetable?" Sauerkraut, of course.

Then I grocery shopped according to a rule from bachelorhood long ago . . . buy foods that avoid dirtying cookware and can be easily prepared. Why spend a lot of time in the kitchen when other rooms in the house provide more relaxation and entertainment? The sausage--I have two different kinds for variety--are even pre-cooked though I could always throw them in the microwave to heat them up, or better yet, on the grill.

Also, find foods that are fun, noteworthy, or beneficial.

Honoring my ethnic heritage, I bought Polish sausage. Arena-style, so they must be fun to eat too. The kraut goes good with that as well. I never ate andoiulle sausage that I can recall, but some lady shopping nearby raved when she spotted this particular brand, saying that she had bought it before and it was delicious. She had visited Whole Foods, Trader Joe's and Hiller's before finally discovering where that she had bought it previously here at Plum Market. Since I'm always a sucker for a food shopping tip from a stranger, I bought it also.

Note my sausage buns are from Zingerman's, a deli-restaurant-bakery that is synonymous with gourmet cuisine in Ann Arbor. Zingerman's is nationally known for their foods, their sandwiches in particular. I believe they're one of only a couple area restaurants mentioned in the Road Food best selling tome on travel eats. Vickie will certainly be familiar with Zingermans.

I also bought something that I can't remember even having before. Freshly ground peanut butter. I'm a big fan of peanut butter too. Wendy did wonder whether it had to be refrigerated since it didn't contain any preservatives. If anyone out there knows, let us know. Quickly, I guess.

Finally, I found a package of liver sausage flavored with smoked onion. Hmmmm. Ironically, I absolutely hate liver, and macaroni and cheese. Those are two foods I cannot eat going back to childhood. Yet, I love liver sausage, as well as macaroni and cheese separately. One of life's imponderables.

Thought the liver sausage with smoked onions could evolve into a good sandwich, one that could be beneficial on the days where I don't want to be bothered at work:

Boss: Dave, can you come here a second?

Dave: I'm HERE. HOW can I HELP you?

Boss: Never mind. I'll handle it myself.

So was I successful on my shopping expedition? By the way, as I told Wendy, what I bought could last me almost a week in my bachelor days. And would! Every meal is covered. Peanut butter in itself is an anytime meal.

Rachel Ray, eat your heart out.